Retirement Countdown
Count down to retirement in years, months, days and working days, and see your Social Security full retirement age and what claiming early would mean.
How the countdown works
Your retirement date is the day you reach the age you choose. For your full retirement age we use Social Security's table by birth year, including its rule that a birthday on the 1st of a month counts as the month before.
Working days skip weekends and the 11 US federal holidays, moved to the observed weekday when they fall on a weekend. Juneteenth counts from 2021, when it became a federal holiday.
For your exact age today, use the Age Calculator.
Worked example
Born March 21, 1960. The full retirement age for 1960 is 67, so the full retirement date is March 21, 2027. Starting benefits at 62 instead would pay 70% of the full benefit.
Full retirement age by birth year
| Born | Full retirement age |
|---|---|
| 1937 or earlier | 65 |
| 1938 | 65 and 2 months |
| 1939 | 65 and 4 months |
| 1940 | 65 and 6 months |
| 1941 | 65 and 8 months |
| 1942 | 65 and 10 months |
| 1943 to 1954 | 66 |
| 1955 | 66 and 2 months |
| 1956 | 66 and 4 months |
| 1957 | 66 and 6 months |
| 1958 | 66 and 8 months |
| 1959 | 66 and 10 months |
| 1960 or later | 67 |
Born on January 1? Use the previous year.
Benefit by starting age (full retirement age 67)
| Start at | Share of full benefit |
|---|---|
| 62 | 70.0% |
| 63 | 75.0% |
| 64 | 80.0% |
| 65 | 86.7% |
| 66 | 93.3% |
| 67 | 100.0% |
| 68 | 108.0% |
| 69 | 116.0% |
| 70 | 124.0% |
Your own retirement benefit, for anyone born in 1960 or later. Starting after 67 adds 8% a year until 70. Spouse and survivor benefits follow different rules.
Retirement milestones by age
The tool turns these into dates for you. Each age comes from the agency that sets it.
| Age | What happens |
|---|---|
| 59½ | IRA withdrawals no longer face the 10% early withdrawal tax (IRS) |
| 62 | Earliest age to start Social Security retirement benefits, at a reduced rate (SSA) |
| 65 | Medicare age; sign-up opens 3 months before the month you turn 65 (Medicare.gov) |
| 66 to 67 | Full retirement age, depending on birth year (SSA) |
| 70 | Delayed retirement credits stop, so waiting longer adds nothing (SSA) |
Medicare sign-up window from Medicare.gov. This is general information, not financial advice.
Claiming early, on time or late
Social Security lets you start your own retirement benefit at any age from 62 to 70. Start before your full retirement age and the monthly amount is cut for life. The cut is 5/9 of 1% for each of the first 36 months early, and 5/12 of 1% for each month beyond that. Wait past it and you earn delayed retirement credits instead: 2/3 of 1% a month, or 8% a year, until 70.
With a full retirement age of 67, that means 70% of the full benefit at 62 and 124% at 70. Which is best depends on your health, savings and family, so treat the numbers as a guide and check your own record with Social Security.
How many working days are left in a year?
Weekdays in each year, minus the observed federal holidays.
| Year | Working days |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 250 |
| 2027 | 249 |
| 2028 | 250 |
| 2029 | 250 |
| 2030 | 250 |
The countdown skips the observed federal holidays. Here they are for 2027:
- New Year's Day: Friday, January 1, 2027
- Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.: Monday, January 18, 2027
- Washington's Birthday: Monday, February 15, 2027
- Memorial Day: Monday, May 31, 2027
- Juneteenth National Independence Day: Friday, June 18, 2027
- Independence Day: Monday, July 5, 2027
- Labor Day: Monday, September 6, 2027
- Columbus Day: Monday, October 11, 2027
- Veterans Day: Thursday, November 11, 2027
- Thanksgiving Day: Thursday, November 25, 2027
- Christmas Day: Friday, December 24, 2027
When a holiday falls on a Saturday it is observed on the Friday before, and on a Sunday the Monday after. Your employer may give different days off, and vacation days are not taken out.
Ideas for the countdown
- Share it at work. Copy the link and send it to your team, so everyone can watch the working days fall.
- Mark the milestones. Celebrate 1,000, 500 and 100 working days to go.
- Plan the paperwork. Put the Medicare sign-up window and your Social Security start date in your calendar early.
- Picture the time. See how many weeks you have already worked and how many lie ahead with Life in Weeks.
- Throw the party. Make a full screen countdown for the last day.
Retirement Countdown questions
How many working days until I retire?
Enter your birth date and retirement age, and the tool counts the weekdays left, minus observed federal holidays. For scale, January 1, 2027 to January 1, 2030 holds 749 working days. Taking 15 vacation days a year would bring that to 704, so subtract your own days off for your real number.
Why does a birthday on the 1st change my date?
Social Security treats people born on the 1st of a month as if they were born in the previous month. Someone born July 1, 1960 reaches full retirement age on June 30, 2027.
Can I count down to a different age?
Yes. Choose 65, 67 or any other age from 50 to 80, and the countdown and working days update. Leaving work before 62 is a date you set yourself: Social Security retirement benefits cannot start until 62, so plan the years in between from other income.
When can I sign up for Medicare?
Generally during a 7-month window: the 3 months before the month you turn 65, that month, and the 3 months after, according to Medicare.gov. Someone who turns 65 on July 10, 2027 can sign up from April 1 to October 31, 2027. The tool shows the date you turn 65.
Is there a retirement countdown app for my phone?
You do not need one: this countdown runs in your phone's browser. Once you see your result, Copy link gives you an address with your birth date and retirement age built in, so it always opens counted down to today. Save it as a bookmark, or add it to your home screen, from the Share menu in Safari on an iPhone or the menu in Chrome on Android, and it opens like an app.
Is my birth date saved?
No. The countdown runs in your browser and nothing is sent to us.
Published October 12, 2026. Last updated October 30, 2026. Social Security rules as published by the Social Security Administration. This is not financial advice.